{"id":358,"date":"2012-10-28T03:33:32","date_gmt":"2012-10-28T03:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2006\/08\/21\/takatoku-gbp-1-armor-accessory\/"},"modified":"2014-07-11T05:40:07","modified_gmt":"2014-07-11T05:40:07","slug":"takatoku-gbp-1-armor-accessory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=358","title":{"rendered":"Accessories for Takatoku (& Bandai) 1\/55 VF-1 Toys: GBP Parts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Observations & Critique: Because we like things that go boom<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Takatoku<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there’s just really not much to this\u00a0packaging beyond the actual product itself and mediocre box.\u00a0 The\u00a0included\u00a0stickers do a great deal to really dress\u00a0the armor\u00a0up.\u00a0 The insert, box, tray are all the typical Takatoku goodness with sturdy textured cardboard and windows displaying the product prominently.\u00a0 Oddly enough, Takatoku moved from the full box treatment to a tray\/lid system for the GBP release (Please note, I am not discussing the giftset, that came in the traditional elongated box).\u00a0 Yamato’s 1\/48 GBP came with side and neck covers for the valkyrie, additional hands, an optional crotch armor in case you liked the look better with the nosecone removed, two extra fixed-pose hands, and a collector’s flip-tox box…\u00a0Takatoku’s\u00a0ol’ chunky has no need for most of that stuff but\u00a0it makes you think there could have been\u00a0more here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"Takatoku<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

People love this item.\u00a0 It’s fairly hard to come by, especially with colors that are still true and have not faded or yellowed over the years.\u00a0 The molds for this item have apparently been lost.\u00a0 I’m not exactly capable of fact-checking how it happened but I’ve heard that they were on board a boat that sank and I’ve also heard they were pitted from being improperly stored (in much the same manner Matchbox\u00a0or Playmates\u00a0lost the molds for its Robotech line).\u00a0 This means that Bandai won’t be reissuing the chunky GBP.\u00a0 As this isn’t an actual toy, only an accessory, its collectability is somewhat hampered and when one considers the superior 1\/48 and V2 1\/60 GBP that Yamato\u00a0released (see my review of those products separately) it’s likely that fewer and fewer people will be willing to spend ridiculous amounts trying to acquire this.<\/p>\n

\"Takatoku<\/a><\/p>\n

Yes, it does look like a cross between a hockey goalie and a Valkyrie.\u00a0 That being said, the GBP really did resemble that in some of the animation scenes where the valkyrie itself looked a bit on the chunkier side.\u00a0 I just love the look of the chunky GBP even if it’s not the most accurate or intimidating.\u00a0 Heck, I even think this thing looks good from behind.\u00a0 I certainly invite readers to judge for themselves.\u00a0 The arms do stand out as offering substantial room for improvement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Takatoku<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

I love it.\u00a0 The attachments fit smoothly and very securely.\u00a0 There’s no feeling that anything is about to fall off of this toy.\u00a0 The back boosters attach via a similar\u00a0method that Yamato used on their V1 1\/60 line years later but they work even better on the original.\u00a0 I don’t believe the GBP was considered when the original Valk was created but you don’t get that sense when applying this accessory because everything fits snugly.\u00a0 The shoulders and chest open to reveal missiles (although the chest missiles are pretty terrible looking and the hinges aren’t concealed well).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"Takatoku<\/a><\/p>\n

This add-on is seemingly as strong as the chunky itself.\u00a0 There are some tabs that you probably would want to be a bit cautious with.\u00a0 If you had this thing teetering on a shelf with it’s armor open (revealing the missiles within) and it fell you might snap off the doors on the shoulder accessories.\u00a0 Otherwise, this thing feels like a tank, which is exactly how something like this should feel.
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